The industry’s first base criteria ONC-certified EHR enables palliative care providers to participate in quality incentive programs and alternative payment models
Netsmart announced today that it is the industry’s first post-acute technology vendor to achieve 100% of the certification base criteria, earning the myUnity® electronic health record (EHR) the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC-Health IT) 2015 Edition Health IT Certification. The Drummond Group LLC, an Authorized Certification Body (ACB), has tested the software for compliance with the requirements of the federal government’s program.
Hospice and palliative care providers need certified technology to meet the requirements of the evolving healthcare landscape for value-based care and establish compliance with the Medicare Access and CHIPS Reauthorization Act (MACRA), specifically Medicare Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Under the quality payment program, palliative care organizations that bill Medicare more than $30,000 a year and have more than 100 beneficiaries are required to comply with the regulations. Providers using a non-certified system for palliative services are subject to reimbursement penalties.
Netsmart is the first and only post-acute technology vendor to meet all of the base certification criteria, enabling hospice and palliative care providers to meet government compliance and succeed in value-based care programs. There have been announcements by other software vendors who have prematurely declared ONC certification, yet they only meet a portion of the required capabilities. Netsmart has achieved 100% of the base criteria and is able to equip providers to operationalize and receive payment for palliative services. The 2015 Edition qualifications for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) interoperability rules require providers to be equipped with a certified EHR platform and organizational infrastructure to participate in incentive-based payment programs. Due to the rapidly evolving healthcare environment, the ONC certification criteria has progressed, requiring more advanced technology needed for reimbursement, which is a trend that is believed will continue to impact all post-acute care providers.
As a proven innovator, Netsmart was the first technology provider to meet ONC certification for behavioral health in 2017 and was prepared for providers to leverage the platform prior to payment impacts. This track record of innovation leadership continues in the post-acute care community.
“Our investment in ONC certification is going to change the industry landscape,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “For the first time, hospice organizations will be able to manage large-scale palliative care programs and do it while qualifying for the CMS reimbursement models. Today, post-acute providers have no choice but to run multiple EHR systems for each of their services lines, causing siloed care and ineffective patient transitions. The certified myUnity solution was fully developed by our Netsmart team without third-party components, and the ONC certification empowers our clients to provide the full continuum of care on a unified enterprise platform, driving efficiencies and improved care.”
Netsmart myUnity is the go-to platform for hospice providers because it’s designed to ease the complex demands of value-based care with intuitive workflows that drive staff satisfaction. The next-generation solution offers a robust set of functionalities that support roles throughout the organization, from front desk staff and clinicians to billing administrators and executive management.
“When we chose Netsmart as a partner, we felt confident that their team was committed not only to meeting our technology needs through the implementation of myUnity but were also dedicated to continuous innovation that would take our organization into the future,” said Ohio’s Hospice CEO Kent Anderson. “Netsmart kept their promise of moving the industry forward by achieving ONC certification, enabling us to achieve a single, seamless platform for all of our service lines.”
To receive ONC certification, myUnity was tested against applicable standards, clinical quality measures and certification criteria put forth by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The Drummond certification verified that the software offers the functionality that enables eligible providers and hospitals to meet the technology requirements necessary to meet Meaningful Use specifications – one of the benchmarks necessary to qualify healthcare organizations to receive payments under the ongoing EHR adoption program.
Certification Information:
The Health IT Module listed is 2015 Edition compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ACB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Developer name: Netsmart
- Developer location: 11100 Nall Ave., Overland Park, KS 66211
- Developer phone number: 800-842-1973
- Developer website: www.ntst.com
- Product name: myUnity®
- Product version: 2021
- Date the product was certified: December 10, 2021
- Unique certification number: 15.04.04.2816.myUn.21.00.0.210122
- Clinical Quality Measures Certified: CMS159v9
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